Monica Quan remembered by her basketball family

Feb. 9, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Megan Richardson, who played for the Titans women's basketball team last year, and her friend Gretchen Tiernan, right, pay their respects at a memorial to assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of their game against UC Riverside Saturday. It was the first game since the second year assistant was murdered in Irvine last week. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Chelsea Austin, Hailey King, Natalie Williams and Brianna Hubbard, from left, compose themselves after a moment of silence for recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of their basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Mourners pay their respects at a memorial for recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of the Titans' basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Alex Thomas, Jessica Palmer and Mya Olivier compose themselves after a moment of silence for recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of their basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Titan players line up for the a moment of silence for recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of the Titans' basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Titan players warm-up near a memorial to recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of the Titans' basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Mourners pay their respects at a memorial for recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of the Titans' basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team leaves a chair open in memory of recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan during the Titans' basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Titan players wear a warm-up in memory of recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of the Titans' basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. "It is the courage to continue that counts," reads the quote on the back. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Titan players wear a warm-up in memory of recently murdered assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of the Titans' basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday. "It is the courage to continue that counts," reads the quote on the back. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Fullerton bench watches the final moments of the Titans' 64-45 loss to UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

With tears in her eyes, Cal State Fullerton women's basketball head coach Marcia Foster heads to the locker room after the Titans' 64-45 loss to UC Riverside Saturday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Megan Richardson, who played for the Titans women's basketball team last year, and her friend Gretchen Tiernan, right, pay their respects at a memorial to assistant coach Monica Quan before the start of their game against UC Riverside Saturday. It was the first game since the second year assistant was murdered in Irvine last week.KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team honored its assistant coach Monica Quan Saturday afternoon in the first game since her death with 'MOtivation' on the front of players' warm-up jerseys and a black patch with her initial on their uniforms.

'Coach Mo' was the players' nickname for Quan.

"Everyone understands that this is a family," said head Coach Marcia Foster.

Former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner is suspected of shooting Quan and her fiancé Keith Lawrence last Sunday in the parking structure of their Irvine apartment complex. Quan is the daughter of Randall Quan who was the attorney representing Dorner in the failed appeal of his dismissal from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Foster said the team has been shaken at the news of Quan's death and that players have been working to recover every day preparing for their game Saturday against UC Riverside.

"It is the courage to continue that counts," was written on the back of their warm-up jerseys. It's a quote the coaching staff picked to motivate their players to push through the game.

Before the game, those in Titan Gym observed a moment of silence in honor of Quan; some of Fullerton's players wiped away tears to prepare for the game.

Inside the entrance to the gym was a memorial, including Quan's picture inside of a wreath along with flowers and a guestbook for fans to write messages for Quan. Added security was noticeable in Titan Gym.

Foster characterized Quan as honest, and someone who could also speak her mind.

Junior Guard Alex Thomas said it has been difficult walking into the gym or past the coaching offices without seeing Quan there. Quan believed in the importance of the fundamentals of the game well and was not afraid to point out any missteps to her players, Thomas said.

"Today we didn't take care of the details the way we should have," she said.

Foster knew Quan while she was still a college basketball player and recommended her as an assistant coach to her friend Roy Dow, head coach for Cal Lutheran's Women's basketball team. Quan coached there before coming to Cal State Fullerton last year.

She spoke highly of Quan's work ethic as an assistant coach.

"When I had an opening, I wanted her because I knew she was a professional," Foster said. "I didn't realize everything I was getting in Monica Quan. I didn't realize the depth of the person I was getting from someone so young.

As a coach, Quan talked to her players about things besides basketball and took her role as a coach seriously. However, she didn't talk about her personal relationships with players, Thomas said.

Players said they have been working through the loss of their coach by spending time together in the past couple of days, sophomore forward Jessica Palmer said.

Steve DiTolla, senior associate athletics director for Cal State Fullerton, said Quan had the thankless job of organizing the team's flights, buses and hotels when the team traveled. She made sure coaches and players were taken care of.

"Nobody says thank you after it's done because everyone just expects it," he said. "When you needed something done, you would give it to her, and you knew she would get it done."

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